Neighborhood Foxes

Fox in Oakdale

Fox trotting along Montauk Highway

Early yesterday morning when I was drinking my coffee, the phone rang. The caller ID showed that the call was from my son. I expected him to tell me he missed his school bus, but that was not the case.  He informed me that there was a dead deer lying at the side of Montauk Highway, and a fox was hanging out by it. Later in the morning when I was looking out my kitchen window, I spotted it in my neighbor’s backyard. When I saw my neighbor, I mentioned seeing a fox in his yard, he responded, “Oh, he was there again?” He informed me that he sees a fox in his backyard about once a month. Now that I know this, I’ll be looking out my kitchen window a lot more.

Skippers

My black-eyed Susan flowers attract a lot of skippers. Although they are butterflies, skippers resemble moths with their stout and drab bodies.  Their flight is very distinctive because it is bouncy and erratic.

Monarch on Mullein

This is a picture I took about a year ago at the Connetquot River State Park. Although I have taken many thousands of shots since this one, it is still one of  my favorites. This very stately wildflower is mullein and it's nickname is Quaker’s rouge because Quaker girls, who were forbidden to wear makeup, would rub the leaves on their cheeks to cause a blush to appear. The plant is popular with insects, such as this monarch butterfly, because its bright yellow flowers are a good source of nectar.